pleas of a 2 year old

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We had a busy day today. Church, a baptism immediately afterwards, home for an hour, then back to the church for baptism #2. Shortly into the 2nd baptism, Finley was DONE (in her defense, it had been a LONG day- especially for a 2 year old). She was being loud and irreverant- she had to be taken out in hopes of perserving the spirit of the service. On the way out the door, in Paul's arms, she pleaded (LOUDLY).... "nooooooo, please, I don't want to be on the naughty list!" When she came back in, she sat quietly for the remainder of the service (then ran around crazy as soon as it was over). The thought of being placed on santa's naughty list was just the motivation she needed. I might have to exploit that angle for the next few days :) I am still giggling at her little outburst though. That child continually cracks me up.

she did it!

As a sunbeam (sunday school class for children ages 3-4) this year, Avery participated in her very first primary program at church on Sunday. We practiced her lines over and over (Finley was going around saying "I must take care of my body" and "Repentance helps me return to my Heavenly Father" right along with Avery), but it was no guarantee that she would actually get up and talk into the microphone... it is a little intimidating for a 4 year old (who am I kidding, it is for me too). There might have been some serious bribing involved but, when it came down to it, she did it and she did great. She sang most of the songs too (or at least I could see her mouth moving :)). Ya Ya and Papa came too- Avery loved sharing it with them. When she was done, Finley rushed to her side, gave Avery a big hug and said " I so proud of you Avery! I knew you could do it!" So sweet (it is good to know that in spite of tormenting each other a lot of the time, they can be sweet when they want to be). We are very proud of her too. It is a right of passage of sorts. She is growing up so quickly.

"such hard work"

After her 3rd time out in a 20 minute span (for attacking both of her sisters repeatedly), I reminded Avery, yet again, that she needed to make good choices. Her response, "but mom, being a big girl is such hard work." I couldn't help but smile. Oh, sweet girl, yes it is. It is a good thing she is so cute- it goes a long way in taking the edge off of mom's wrath.

It has just been one of those days. The girls have been testing limits at every turn. Avery has been very physically aggressive (Finley has scratches all over her body to prove it), and blatantly defiant. Between spurts of giggles, Finley has been screaming almost constantly- either because she is wounded (emotionally or physically- thanks to Avery), or because she is defending her territory/property (from Avery). Early in the day, Finley stuck her hand down her dirty diaper and wiped it all over (flashback to THIS). Then later, she took her diaper off (her new thing- ever since THIS incident), went and peed on my rug, announced it, and then proudly showed me the spot. Emerson has also been crying all day- the poor thing has not gotten more than a 5 minute nap. Between her own tummy troubles, teething discomfort?!, and other baby ailements, plus her LOUD, disruptive sisters that make it their mission in life to wake her up, she can't sleep for any length of time. Days like this are very, VERY long. I love them all so very dearly, but I am ready for a break. Is it bedtime yet?!

happy mother's day, with love from Avery

Avery brought this home from preschool yesterday (I added the editorial comments). I got a good chuckle out of it. A little insight into the mind of a 4 year old!

embarrassed of mom- ALREADY?!

So, I am STILL in my gym clothes right now. I went to the gym THIS MORNING (after a LONG absence- like 3+ months, pretty much since I found out I was pregnant and could not eat or keep anything down. I still am not quite sure what I was thinking. I am feeling a little better, but I have not regained my energy or strength. But, that is all a completely different story).

The fact that I am still in my gym clothes is apparently an embarrassment to my 3 year old daughter. To defend myself, it was just one of those days where I just went from one thing to the next without even a minute to breathe. It all started with a gym class and ended with me dragging along the rest of the day. I had no time for details like getting dressed in REAL clothes or putting on make-up. As we were walking out the door for Avery's dance class this afternoon. The following conversation ensued...

AVERY: Mom, aren't you going to get ready?

ME: I AM ready.

AVERY: But, you have been wearing those clothes ALL DAY. You need to get ready or you can't go to dance class.

ME: This is what I am wearing or else we are going to be late. Let's go... in the car... NOW.

I didn't really think much about it until later, but as I replayed that conversation in my head, I realized a very sad fact. This is only the first time (of MANY I am sure) that my daughter expressed her embarrassment of me- her mom. I get it- I think it is an innate part of the complex mother-daughter relationship, but really.... does it start at 3?!

Evidently, in our house it does! Oh, heaven help me!

WHO is it?!

So, we have been keeping a little secret- well, not really- if I have seen you and talked with you in person, you probably already know, but we have not, until now, made the official "announcement" that we are expecting baby #3 the end of April 2009. When we told Avery that there was a baby in mommy's tummy she looked at me, looked at my belly, then looked back at me and questioned, "WHO is it?" We don't know the answer to that question yet, but we are excited to find out! It is truly a miracle and a blessing after all we went through while dealing fertility issues due to PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) to get pregnant with Avery. I am so grateful that through that initial trial and error process (which seemed to take FOREVER) we have found a combo of treatments and medications that help my body to "work" and get pregnant without trouble (both with Finley and with #3). This time around I was on the Glucophage (metformin) for about 6 months before getting pregnant, which seems to be long enough ahead of time that I did not have to suffer a heartbreaking miscarriage before having a viable pregnancy (as I did before both Avery and Finley). At 14 weeks, everything looks good and seems to be right on track.

We had an appointment a week ago and got to see the little one on ultrasound. It looks like a little baby, but no details to report as of yet. We will have the BIG ultrasound the first week of December where the ultimate question will be answered.... BOY or GIRL?! Everyone in Paul's family is of course rooting for a boy are there are 6 granddaughters and 0 grandsons so far. I would of course love to have a boy, but I would also be OK with another little girl.... especially in this financial climate, another girl would most definitely be more cost effective as we have enough girl clothes to clothe a small nation. We shall see! I am excited either way!

I must say that I will be even more excited when the all-day sickness has past. I fear I have scarred my share of children (my own as well as others in public places) as a result. Up until now, things have gone just about the same as they have with the other 2. So, based on that, I still have about 12 more weeks of feeling crummy. I have even tried the "miracle" drug Zofran this time around with no avail. It hasn't really helped with the nausea and as a lovely side effect, I get a massive headache for the 24 hours after taking it. It is a little bit more challenging this time around with 2 little ones under foot and one that no longer naps.... which means, no rest for me either! But, we are all surviving... thanks in part to Noggin- 24 hours of "preschool on TV" at my disposal.

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Avery is now starting to catch onto things and really "get it" that there is a new baby coming. She believes that it is another sister- I don't know if that is just all she knows, or if she really has a feeling (little ones can be pretty intuitive?!). I was asking her in the car the other day on the way to play with Grandma Lee and Pa (while I went to my OB appointment) what she thought the baby's name should be. To that she replied, "Mom, the baby doesn't have a name yet. I will know her name when I turn 4, but until then, just don't talk to me about it." Well, OK miss sassy pants! Where does she come up with this stuff? She provides constant entertainment- and these days- CONSTANT chatter! Finley on the other hand is completely clueless. She will understand the new harsh reality of it all in about 6 months when the baby is here. She is very much a momma's girl, so it will be interesting.

I love my girls so much. I love being a mom, even though I have moments when want to pull my hair out. I am truly excited to have another one on the way. I do have to say though, the thought of 3 is a little scary. With 2, it works- I have two hands to hold them or tend to them both at the same time when I am by myself, and then when we are all together there are two parents and we usually each take one child for bedtime, eating out, etc... It will be a whole new experience... as was having 2, in the beginning, and even having 1 at first. I think there is an adjustment period with each new addition. Then after a while though, you can't imagine life any other way. We are so excited for this new adventure!

expanding vocabulary

Avery had been trying out some new descriptive vocabulary lately, which I have been getting a good giggle out of. I am not quite sure where she is picking it up?! It is probably from her recent discovery of Pinky-Dinky-Doo on Noggin and her obsession with reading the Fancy Nancy books every night (which I have to admit, I love). It seriously just cracks me up because she uses these big words and in the correct context.

The other day, she was drinking the milk out of her fruity Cheerios bowl and stopped mid slurp to declare, "mmm... this is scrumptious!"

(please don't mind the unclothed frame- both my girls would most always prefer to run around in just underware/diapers if given the opportunity. It is a constant battle.)

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Then I was making skillet potatoes for dinner and as I was sauteing the onions, Avery perked up and said, "Whatcha making?! Something smells absolutely delicious."

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I know there have been other other quips out of her that I have momentarily forgotten (which is why I have to write this stuff down- if not I would forget it all!). These kids, while driving me crazy sometimes, provide endless entertainment and laughs. Hilarious!

she is a sponge

Avery is a complete sponge right now. I hear her reciting lines from shows and singing songs she has heard. We love to listen to music in the car and at home- we dance and "rock out" as Avery likes to call it. I am personally notorious for listening to and singing along with music without paying attention to exactly what the words are actually SAYING. My brother always catches me and says- "do you have ANY idea what this song is about?" No, not usually, but I know I like the song, the tune, the beat. He will then explain, and it just ruins it for me. I know I should be more aware of what I listen to- especially when I have little impressionable ears listening along with me.

A few weeks ago, we were in the car listening to Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls, which I thought was pretty harmless. My sister and I were belting it out and then all of a sudden, Avery joined it at "suicidal, suicidal." She continued to repeat that part of the song (and ONLY that part) all day long as she was playing quietly by herself or out and about. That was a eye opening moment for me. I quickly banned that song from our rock out sessions. Other moments recently have increased my awareness. We went into a store playing Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape, and Avery was so excited and said loudly, "Hey mom, its our song." Or, my all time favorite Avery quote- after hearing Fergie's Big Girls' Don't Cry in a store she stated, actually it was more like yelled, "Yeah, mom, big girls don't cry when they go poo poo." "Yes, honey, that's right- big girl's don't cry when they go poo poo," I replied as quietly, as possible... I could feel several pairs of judgemental eyes bearing into the back of my head.

Even though we always download the CLEAN version with no swear words, I have come to realize that they can't really do much about cleaning up the message of the song by just taking out the "BAD" words. After much contemplation on this, I recently decided to only play primary songs in the car. Being the sponge that she is, Avery is soaking it all in and learning all the words to all of them. She sings them all day long (albeit a little off tune and with more than just a few wrong words) as she is coloring, or playing by herself. I feel MUCH better about Avery going around the house singing "I am a child of God" as opposed to "suicidal, suicidal." It has also done wonders for the spirit of love and peace in our home. It has been truly amazing! We still turn on a good "rock out" song every once in awhile for a living room dance party, but I make sure those songs are not the songs we are listening to most. A seemingly little thing can make a big difference- for good or bad. The world is incredibly crazy and these little ones are so impressionable... they can use all the help they can get- starting even now.

Pirish?!

We got a special Minnie Mouse for Avery at Epcot Center's World Showcase when we were at Disney World in April. The World Showcase is really incredible- each country is represented by replicas (nearly full size) of famous landmarks, eateries with authentic food, and shops with souvenir items that you would find if you were actually visiting the country itself- and some country specific Disney paraphernalia mixed in, of course. Anyway, I digress.

The stuffed Minnie Mouse we got in "Ireland" was a "must get" because it was green and had shamrocks all over it. Since Avery's birthday is March 17, St. Patrick's day, we thought it was appropriate (and oh, so very cute). Avery, however, loves this Minnie not because it pays homage to her birth date, but because she thinks it looks like a pirate (she has been on a pirate kick ever since we went on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland forever ago- she even recognizes and points out Captain Jack Sparrow when Johnny Depp's picture pops up during the Disney montage at the beginning of her Enchanted DVD- EVERY TIME). So, she calls (or I should say called) this particular minnie her "Pirate Minnie." We recently tried to explain to her that it is actually "Irish" Minnie, with interesting results. Avery does try to say "Irish" upon prompting and if she concentrates really hard, it comes out correct; but, if she is not focused, it comes out "Pirish." I don't know if she is just having a hard time with the pronunciation or if she is consciously mixing the two names (Pirate and Irish), but this is now her "Pirish" Minnie. It just cracks us up every time she says it! So, without further ado, I introduce you to the Irish Pirate.... "Pirish" Minnie!

I guess I can see Avery's confusion- she does kind of look like a swashbuckling pirate to me too!

EXCUSE ME?!

The girls and I were driving home from our weekend in Carmel and Avery was being so whiny... there are very few things I despise more than whining. I reprimanded her and told her that she needed to shape up or she was going to lose the privilege of watching a show in the car. She quieted down for a minute and then said "Mom, Finny and I don't like your attitude." EXCUSE ME?! I had to try so very hard not to laugh, even though it is really not funny... I think we might be in for BIG trouble if she is already sassing me like this at the tender age of 3! Both of the girls can give the dirtiest looks too... just check out that picture above. If it is possible, Finley's looks are worse- just ask anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of having one of her looks directed at them! Heaven help us!